VKTOUR - INDOCHINA

Simple but Different...

Highlight Vietnam and Laos package tour 18 days

Itinerary

Day 1. Ho Chi Minh city Arrival (B,L)

Arrive to Tan San Nhat airport. Welcome by a VKTOUR guide and driver. Transfer to your hotel. Take an orientation tour in the afternoon ( if time permits ). Welcome dinner. Overnight at your proposed hotel in Hochiminh city.

Day 2. Ho Chi Minh city Tour (B,L)

Breakfast at hotel. Start a sightseeing tour to the Reunification Palace, which was the former residence of the President of South Vietnam until end of April 1975, and some French colonial structures including the Notre Dame cathedral, the Old Central Post Office. Tour of Chinatown and Thien Hau & Quan Am pagodas. After seeing the Emperor Jade Pagoda and the War Remnants Museum we end the city tour with Ben Thanh market where anything and everything is for sale. Free time. Overnight at your proposed hotel in HCMC.

Day 3. Ho Chi Minh city - Cao Dai temple - Cu Chi tunnels (B,L)

Breakfast at hotel. Driving west to Tay Ninh, head quarter of Cao Dai region. On arrival we attend the fantastic mid-day temple service when the followers fill the hall wearing colored robes, a symbol of the curious combination of the Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism. On the way back a stop for a visit Cu Chi Tunnels, an underground tunnels network constructed by Vietnamese fighters during the struggle for independence. The tunnels contained hospitals, accommodation, etc. and were used as a military base for the Vietcong in the American war. Driving back to HCMC. Overnight at your proposed hotel in HCMC

Day 4. Ho Chi Minh city – Mekong delta overnight on boat (B,L,D)

Mekong Delta, where the mighty Mekong River approaches and fans out into the sea, is a colorful and vibrant region. Deemed as the rice bowl of Vietnam, it is home to a complex system of distributaries and is dotted with countless rice fields, fruit orchards, handicraft villages and floating markets. The best way to experience Mekong Delta's endless waterways is none other than an overnight cruise.

This morning, leave Ho Chi Minh City for the 2.5-hour drive to the delta town of Cai Be. On arrival, board your boat for an overnight cruise. Start in Cai Be floating market where traders have been living on the delta waters for generations. After visiting the market, continue cruising the distributaries where lunch will be served en-route. Along the way admire the scenery and daily life of the local villagers. Dinner and overnight on board your boat on the Mekong Delta.

Day 5. Mekong delta – Ho Chi Minh city (B,L)

This morning, cruise to Cai Rang floating market, taking in the traditional sights such as rice barges, traditional shipyards and tropical fruits drying along the river banks along the way. After a visit to the colorful floating market, check out and disembark before the return to Ho Chi Minh City.

Day 6. Ho Chi Minh city - Da Nang - Hoi An (B)

Transfer to Saigon's Tan Son Nhat airport for your flight to Danang. Pick up by guide and driver. Visit Cham museum and Marble mountain. Transfer to Hoi An, a major Asian trading port in the 17th and 18th centuries with a relaxed lifestyle that has changed little over the years. In the afternoon, take a tour of the ancient town centre to visit the homes of former merchants, the 400 year-old Japanese Covered Bridge and the exotic local market.

Day 8. Free day to relax (B)

Free day to enjoy the ambient town of Hoi An or you can relax on very nice beaches only 4 km from the center of the town.

Day 9. Hoi An - Hue (B,L)

Morning check out and proceed via vehicle north on Highway 1. Stop at the towering Hai Van Pass for a spectacular view of the central Vietnamese coastal littoral. Continue on to the ancient imperial capital of Vietnam, Hue. Transfer to hotel. Afternoon tour: Royal Citadel and the Forbidden Purple City which was the capital of the last Vietnamese dynasty, the Nguyen’s [1802-1945]. Enter the Forbidden Purple City through the Ngo Mon (Noontime) Gate and proceed to the beautifully restored Thai Hoa Palace. Visit the Royal Library and the Hien Lam Pavilion. Return to hotel, free evening to stroll the quaint streets of Hue.

Day 11. Hue - Hanoi (B,L)

Morning check out and transfer to Hue’s Phu Bai Airport to take your flight to Hanoi. Arrive Hanoi, meet guide and driver and transfer to your hotel. Balance of the day Hanoi city tour: Hoan Kiem Lake (Lake of the Restored Sword), the The Huc (Rising Sun) Bridge, the Ngoc Son Temple, the arts gallery across from the The Huc Bridge and view Tortoise Pagoda on Hoan Kiem Lake. Note: Hoan Kiem lake is the emotional vortex of Hanoi. One-hour cyclo tour of the 36-streets and the areas around the 36-streets. Return to your hotel via cyclo. Free evening.

Day 12. Hanoi city tour (B,L)

After breakfast depart for an insider's tour of the capital. Long hidden from the international community Hanoi's cultural scene is thriving. Visit Ho Chi Minh Mousoleum, Museum, his house on stilt, One Pillar pagoda in the same area then visit Quan Thanh temple and the West lake . Enjoy lunch at Cha Ca La Vong. Listed in the travel book '500 places to see before you die' this specialty fish restaurant has been serving the same dish for the past 3 decades. After Lunch you will visit the temple of Literature then the museum of Ethnology. See Water Puppet show. Free evening.

Day 13. Hanoi - Halong bay - sleep on boat (B,L,D)

Pick up at your hotel. Drive to Halong city, stop on the way for breakfast . Arrive in Ha Long city around lunch time, go directly to the tourist harbour and board the Huong Hai junk. Check in. Have lunch then cruise to visit Ha Long Bay, Sung Sot cave, Ti Top Beach, enjoy sunset, drinks. Have dinner on the junk, and over night on the junk. ( Optional : Kayaking ).

Day 14. Halong bay - Hanoi (B,L)

After your breakfast, you'll hop into a small bamboo boat to explore Luon Cave. Start cruising to visit man's head island, Tortoise island, Toad island, Bai tho mountain. Lunch will be served aboard the junk during the return to the mainland and, at Halong, your minibus will be waiting to take you back to Hanoi.

Day 17. Luang Prabang - Pak Ou - Luang Prabang (B,L)

Morning transfer to the Mekong River to board your private rivercraft for a visit up river to the ancient Pac Ou caves. Sack lunch served at the caves. Tour the caves with hundreds of different representations of the Buddha. Return to Luang Prabang via rivercraft. Return to hotel. Free evening.

Day 18. Luang Prabang - Departure (B)

Breakfast at hotel. Free at leisure until transfer to the airport for departure.

Tour includes:

• Accommodation at selected hotels.
• Tours, transfers and all services as mentioned in the itinerary.
• Services of a driver and Private air-conditioned vehicles during all tours and transfers.
• Services of an English speaking guide during all tours and transfers.
• Entrance fees for all sights visited.
• Breakfast, Lunch or dinner if mentioned in itinerary with (B,L,D)
• Three domestic flights: Saigon – Da Nang; Hue – Hanoi; Vientiane - Luang Prabang
• One International flight: Hanoi - Vientiane

Excludes:

• Meals other than those mentioned above
• Personal expenses such as laundry, telephone, drinks etc....
• Tips
• Personal insurance
• Any International and domestic flights not mentioned
• International departure airport tax (normally included in your ticket price)